The consequences of unmet needs: the evolving role of motivation in consumer research

Abstract This paper proposes that dominant theories of human motivation rest on the notion of salient unmet needs. Motivational theories, represented by biological instinct theories ( thesis ) and social cognitive theories ( antithesis ), are now showing signs of synthesis within the domain of consumer research. Consumer and marketing research techniques can be made more insightful and actionable by introducing measures of the behavioural and emotional meaning of unmet needs through integration of the key elements of motivation research within a quantitative measurement system. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications.